NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi has formed a five-member panel to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of a 31-year-old MSc Physics student, days after the incident triggered protests by students on campus and prompted the administration to suspend classes.The panel, which has been given two weeks to submit its report, will examine the functioning of the institute’s administrative offices, speak to relevant students and faculty members, review existing protocols and processes, and recommend measures to strengthen student support systems.The committee includes Ashok Kumar, former Uttarakhand director general of police, an IIT-Delhi alumnus and vice chancellor of Haryana Sports University; Pratap Sharma, head of the department of Psychiatry at AIIMS, New Delhi; two student representatives; and the IIT-Delhi registrar.The institute has also proposed appointing an external ombudsperson to address student grievances that remain unresolved through existing internal mechanisms.The move follows protests by students after the death of the MSc Physics student on Saturday. The demonstrations led the institute administration to suspend classes on Monday as students voiced their concerns and demanded greater scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the incident and the systems in place to support students.The 31-year-old student, who had joined IIT-Delhi in July 2025 and was staying in a campus hostel, allegedly died after jumping from the sixth floor of a building on the institute campus on August 22.According to police, a PCR call reporting that a student had jumped from a building at the IIT-Delhi campus was received at around 8.33am at Kishangarh police station.Police personnel reached the spot and took the injured student to the IIT-Delhi campus hospital, where he was declared brought dead.Police said their preliminary inquiry established that the student entered the campus through the main gate at around 8am, went to the Lecture Hall Complex, took a lift to the sixth floor and allegedly jumped from the front side of the building towards the complex.A crime team and forensic science laboratory team inspected the spot and collected evidence. Police said no apparent injury marks other than those attributable to the fall were found and no suicide note had been recovered. A mobile phone found in the student’s pocket is being examined as part of the investigation.Police are also obtaining his counselling records and other relevant information from the institute as they investigate the circumstances leading to his death.The institute, meanwhile, said the student was “academically bright” and had received medical and counselling support after concerns were raised by fellow students following the Holi festivities earlier this year.According to the institute, he was immediately referred to the IIT-Delhi Hospital through an institute ambulance and was assessed and supported by the institute psychiatrist. His family subsequently said they wanted to take him to a specialised hospital, where he underwent about a month of inpatient treatment before being discharged.The student later requested withdrawal from the second semester, from January to May 2026, which was approved by the institute. His health records were reviewed again in July, and medical advice was given that he should continue under parental supervision.He was provided counselling and treatment support by the institute counsellor/doctor in July and August 2026. His request to withdraw from the third semester, from July to November 2026, was also approved.The circumstances surrounding his death, including the support and administrative mechanisms available to him, are now set to come under the scrutiny of the newly constituted panel.“The committee will speak to relevant students and faculty members, examine the functioning of the concerned administrative offices, review existing protocols and processes and make recommendations. The panel has been given two weeks to submit its report,” an institute official said.“The institute will ensure that the committee is given the necessary mandate to examine the matter comprehensively and to identify any further measures that may be required to strengthen student support systems.“In addition, an external ombudsperson is proposed to be appointed to address student grievances that remain unresolved through the existing internal mechanisms,” the official added.The institute has also invited students to submit their suggestions and concerns as it reviews its systems and works towards creating a safer, more responsive and supportive campus environment.(With agency inputs)
